Pittsburgh Steelers free agency 2020: Top 5 targets
The Black and Gold have failed to reach the playoffs two years in a row. Who could the Pittsburgh Steelers target in free agency this year?
Yes, Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin has still yet to finish any season with a losing record since taking over for Bill Cowher in 2007. And given the circumstances of a year in which quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was lost in Week 2 with an elbow injury, he was mentioned many times this season as a possible NFL Coach of the Year candidate as his makeshift club rebounded from a 1-4 start to win seven of its next eight games.
But the Steelers also lost their final three games to finish 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. In 2018, with a much healthier team, a 7-2-1 start morphed into four losses in the last six games. Tomlin’s squad owns a 17-14-1 record since finishing 13-3 in ’17.
Can the head coach and general manager Kevin Colbert reverse this recent downward trend? Will Big Ben be ready to go this summer? And what free agents could the Steelers – a franchise that prefers to build through the draft – eye this offseason?
5. CB Darqueze Dennard (Cincinnati Bengals)
The Steelers made some strides in 2019 in terms of their pass defense. For the third consecutive year, the team either led or tied the NFL in sacks. But this time around, that pressure finally resulted in Mike Tomlin’s club flipping the field.
Pittsburgh finished second in the league with 20 interceptions and led the NFL with 38 takeaways. It’s worth noting that in their previous two seasons combined, Tomlin’s squad forced only 37 turnovers – a mere 15 in 2018. The early-season addition via trade of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick played a big role in that turnaround. He earned All-Pro honors this year thanks to five interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries with his new team.
But the team could still use some help at the cornerback position. Four-year pro Artie Burns has been a first-round disappointment and is a potential free agent as the organization did not pick up his fifth-year option last spring. Darqueze Dennard was the 24th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and has picked off just three passes in six seasons. But perhaps a change of venue for the 28-year-old pro could be beneficial for a player that may not command a big payday.
Next: No. 4